Todd Phillips believes that Liam Neeson brings a sense of 'gravity' to The Hangover 2.
Neeson has replaced Mel Gibson in a cameo role as tattoo artist after come on set complaints about the inclusion of the troubled star.
And while Phillips admits that he did look at several different actors when he re-cast the role Neeson was the perfect fit.
Speaking to MTV he said: "There's a lot of people [we considered]," he said. "He has gravity. Liam brings a sense of gravity.
"But, you know, it's a cameo, and we don't like to talk about it, because it's [supposed to be] a surprise and now it's ... I don't like to justify it."
The Hangover 2 will be released two years after the first, which was the surprise hit of summer 2009; the movie went on to gross in excess of $467 million at the global box office.
Filming is already under way as Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha and Zach Galifianakis all return and the movie is believed to be shooting in LA before moving to Thailand.
The Hangover is released 27th May 2011.
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